Enduro driver line-up list nearing completion

With less than four months remaining until the green flag drops at the opening endurance event of the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship, the much anticipated driver pairings are almost set.

The opening race of the endurance season will take place at Sandown on the 15th of September. A month later, the all-important Bathurst 1000 will be held at the famous Mount Panorama circuit in country New South Wales. The final endurance event of 2013 will take place around the picturesque streets of Surfers Paradise for the Gold Coast 600 in late October.

As is glaringly obvious each year, a consistent, reliable co-driver is absolutely vital for success in all forms of endurance racing. Last year, we saw Paul Dumbrell and Dean Canto spectacularly support their full-time counterparts, finishing first and second respectively in last year’s Bathurst 1000. Here are the provisional driver combinations for the 2013 endurance season. Please note that some combinations have not yet been officially confirmed.

Red Bull Racing/Triple 8 Race Engineering
Reigning champion Jamie Whincup will once again team up with Paul Dumbrell in the #1 Red Bull Racing Commodore. Dumbrell holds the record for the youngest driver to ever pilot a V8 Supercar at the age of 16. He began full-time V8 Supercar competition in 2003, and retired from the sport at the end 2011 to pursue business ventures. Whincup and Dumbrell were victorious in the 2012 Bathurst 1000, and will look to repeat their performance in 2013.

Craig Lowndes, currently sitting second in the standings, will once again be joined by Warren Luff in 2013. The combination was triumphant in the 2012 Sandown 500, and finished on the podium at Bathurst last year. Luff is a veteran of Australian motorsport, competing in 61 V8 Supercar races as well as the Mitsubishi Mirage Cup, the V8 Ute series as well as the Australian Mini Challenge.

Brad Jones Racing
Luke Youlden, a veteran co-driver in the V8 Supercars since 2001, has signed to drive alongside Fabian Coulthard in the Lockwood Racing Commodore. The 35 year-old has never competed full-time in the category, however he has extensive experience with Ford Performance Racing since 2008. While he has never won a race, the Victorian is highly regarded in the paddock.

Jason Bright will be joined by 32 year-old Andrew Jones for Team BOC. Jones won the development series in 2004, and finished 10th in the development series in 2012. The combination finished 12th at the Bathurst 1000 in last year, however with a stronger car in 2013 under the new regulations, expect an impressive showing from Bright and Jones.

Wilson Security Racing has signed Allan Simonsen to drive alongside David Wall for the 2013 endurance events. The 34 year-old Dane has competed in many prestigious categories around the world, including the Le Mans Series, the British GT, FIA GT and the Australian GT Championship. Simonsen has participated in V8 Supercar endurance events since 2003 with mixed success. Most recently, he drove for Dick Johnson Racing at Sandown and Bathurst in 2012.

Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander will team up with veteran kiwi Greg Murphy in the #2 Holden Racing Team Commodore. Greg Murphy is a Bathurst specialist, with four titles under his belt as well as the famous “lap of the gods” in 2003. The veteran pairing have never actually driven together at Bathurst, however their experience will surely come in handy when the going gets tough late in the 1000.

Indy Car driver Ryan Briscoe is likely combine with James Courtney in #22 Holden Racing Team Commodore. The 31 year-old drives for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2013 Indy Car Series, and has 8 wins under his belt since debuting in 2005. While he doesn’t have extensive tin-top experience, the Australian has contested the Bathurst 1000 on two occasions, and will look to finish the event for the first time this year.

Walkinshaw Performance has not yet officially confirmed Russell Ingall’s partner for the three endurance events, however it has been rumoured that he will pair up with Michael Patrizi.

Ford Performance Racing
Mark Winterbottom will drive alongside ex-FPR pilot Steven Richards. The kiwi has a long and successful history in the category, with 186 V8 Supercar races and two Bathurst victories. Richards currently competes in the Australian Carrera Cup series, having retired from full-time V8 Supercars at the end of 2010.

Steve Owen will team up with leading Ford pilot Will Davison for the 2013 endurance events. Owen has a long history in Australian motorsport, driving in karts, Formula Ford, Formula Holden, Sprint Cars and the V8 development series. Owen has also competed full-time in the top-flight V8 Supercar series, with a best championship position of 17th, as well as a 2nd placed finish alongside Jamie Whincup in the 2010 Bathurst 1000.
David Reynolds and Dean Canto will once again campaign the Bottle-O Falcon at Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise later in the year. The combination was outstanding in 2012 at Sandown and Bathurst, finishing 6th and 2nd respectively.

Alex Davison will team up with kiwi John McIntyre in the Jeld-Wen sponsored FPR Falcon in 2013. The 36 year-old currently competes in the New Zealand V8 SuperTourer Championship, and has driven for FPR in endurance events on numerous occasions.

Nissan Motorsport
Todd Kelly will be joined by David Russell, who has competed intermittently in the V8 Supercars since 2003. Russell drove for Kelly Racing in the 2012 endurance events, and will look forward to piloting a Nissan Altima considering it will be the first time the manufacturer has taken to the mountain since 1992.
Ex full-time V8 Supercar driver, Karl Reindler, will campaign the second Jack Daniels sponsored Altima in the 2013 endurance events alongside Rick Kelly. The 28 year-old from Western Australia has 46 V8 Supercar races under his belt, and has showed glimpses of great potential throughout his short career despite a horrific crash at Barbagallo in 2011.

The #36 Norton Racing Altima will be piloted by Michael Caruso and Daniel Gaunt. Gaunt is experienced in both open-wheel and sedan racing, with a best result of 3rd in the 2011 Carrera Cup Championship. He also drove for Kelly Racing at Sandown and Bathurst in 2012.

James Moffat will have the support of Taz Douglas in the second Norton 360 Racing Nissan Altima. The Victorian drove for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport in 2012, however he was unable to retain his full-time seat for the 2013 season. Douglas is currently driving in the V8 Supercar development series.

Tekno Autosport
Tekno Autosport have yet to officially confirm their co-drivers for the 2013 endurance events, however they will look to secure fast and reliable pilots to support their impressively built VF Commodore under the new Car of the Future regulations. 32 year-old German, Marc Lieb, is likely to join Jonathon Webb in his Daryl Lea sponsored Commodore. He has some V8 Supercar experience at the Gold Coast 600 last year, where he finished second in the opening 300 kilometre leg for Tekno Autosport.

Sebastien Bourdais is rumoured to be driving alongside Shane van Gisbergen in the VIP Petfoods Commodore. The Frenchman has an extensive history in the Champ Car World Series, and drove for Toro Rosso in Formula One throughout 2008 and early 2009. Bourdais has achieved some impressive results in the V8 Supercar Championship at the Gold Coast 600, winning twice alongside Jamie Whincup for Triple 8 Race Engineering.

Garry Rogers Motorsport
Jack Perkins, the son of V8 Supercar great Larry Perkins, will team up with Scott McLaughlin in the #33 VF Commodore. Perkins has had mixed success in V8 Supercars over his short career, however he has consistently had very little difficulty securing a Bathurst drive. While he is still very young, Garry Rogers has expressed admiration at Perkins’ maturity behind the wheel.

Alexandre Premat will be joined by veteran racer Greg Ritter in the #34 Fujitsu Commodore. The 40 year-old Victorian began racing in 1997 in the Australian Formula Ford Championship, before making his main series debut in 2001 for Dick Johnson Racing. Ritter’s best championship result was 27th for FPR in 2005, however he is a proven performer and will provide great support to the Frenchman with his vast experience at Sandown, Bathurst and Surfers Paradise.

Dick Johnson Racing
The Dick Johnson Racing pairings are unconfirmed following a recent driver shuffle, as Chaz Mostert took the reins of the Wilson Security Falcon after Jonny Reid was released after only two rounds. However, there have been rumours that Dunlop series front-runner Dale Wood will combine with Mostert in the #12 Falcon, while ex-DJR driver Steven Johnson is likely to join Tim Blanchard in the #17 Falcon.

Tony D’Alberto Racing
2011 Bathurst winner Nick Percat has signed to drive alongside Tony D’Alberto in the Team HIFLEX Commodore. Percat is currently contesting the Australian Carrera Cup Series, and sits 3rd in the standings behind Craig Beard and Steven Richards. Percat has also competed in three seasons of the development series, affirming his notable past experience driving in V8 Supercars at such a young age.

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport has yet to confirm its driver pairings for 2013, however there have been rumours that Moto GP champion Casey Stoner will join Scott Pye in the EKOL VF Commodore for his first outing in the top tier category. V8 Supercar veteran Paul Morris is likely to team up with Dean Fiore in the Dodo Car Insurance VF Commodore. The 45 year-old Victorian has 151 starts in the ATCC/V8 Supercars, with a best result of 3rd in the 1999 Bathurst 1000.

Erebus Motorsport
Erebus Motorsport has yet to confirm their endurance line-up for 2013, however, there have been strong rumours relating to the possible combinations that will represent Mercedes for the first time at Mount Panorama. There has been speculation that Craig Beard will join Lee Holdsworth in the Irwin Tools backed E-63 AMG. Andrew Thompson is rumoured to be driving alongside Tim Slade, while Christian Klien has been linked to V8 Supercar rookie Maro Engel.

Triple Eight Race Engineering (Holden Commodore VF)
#1 Jamie Whincup / Paul Dumbrell
#888 Craig Lowndes / Warren Luff

Holden Racing Team (Holden Commodore VF)
#2 Garth Tander / Greg Murphy
#22 James Courtney / Ryan Briscoe
Walkinshaw Performance (Holden Commodore VF)
#66 Russell Ingall / TBA

Nissan Motorsport / Kelly Racing (Nissan Altima L33)
#7 Todd Kelly / David Russell
#15 Rick Kelly / Karl Reindler
#36 Michael Caruso / Daniel Gaunt
#360 James Moffat / Taz Douglas

Brad Jones Racing / Britek Motorsport (Holden Commodore VF)
#8 Jason Bright / Andrew Jones
#14 Fabian Coulthard / Luke Youlden
#21 David Wall / Allan Simonsen

Ford Performance Racing (Ford Falcon FG)
#5 Mark Winterbottom / Steven Richards
#6 Will Davison / Steve Owen
Rod Nash Racing (Ford Falcon FG)
#55 David Reynolds / Dean Canto
Charlie Schwerkolt Racing (Ford Falcon FG)
#18 Alex Davison / TBA

Dick Johnson Racing (Ford Falcon FG)
#12 Tim Blanchard / James Davison or Ashley Walsh
#17 Chaz Mostert / Steven Johnson

Tony D’Alberto Racing (Holden Commodore VF)
#3 Tony D’Alberto / Nick Percat

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (Holden Commodore VF)
#80 Scott Pye / Paul Morris
#88 Dean Fiore / TBA

Tekno Autosports (Holden Commodore VF)
#19 Jonothan Webb / Marc Lieb
#97 Shane Van Gisbergen / Sebastien Bourdais

Garry Rogers Motorsport (Holden Commodore VF)
#33 Scott McLaughlin / Jack Perkins
#34 Alex Premat / Greg Ritter

Erebus Motorsport (Mercedes E63 AMG)
#4 Lee Holdsworth / TBA
#9 Maro Engel / TBA
James Rosenberg Racing (Mercedes E63 AMG)
#47 Tim Slade / TBA